A top al-Shabab official believed to be the leader of a pro-Islamic State faction has been shot dead in an ambush in southern Somalia according to local residents

Sources told VOA’s Somali Service Sunday that Sheikh Hussein Abdi Gedi and four others were ambushed by rival al-Shabab fighters near Gududley village in Middle Jubba region.

Gedi was one of the top al-Shabab scholars and the group’s Deputy Governor of the Jubba region until recently, when he reportedly left the al-Qaida linked group and attempted to persuade al-Shabab fighters to support the Islamic State in Iraq and Syria instead.

It’s the third attack by al-Shabab against fighters thought to be supporters of the Islamic State. Earlier this month the al-Shabab leadership has made it clear in a speech through their spokesman that they will not accept divisions and vowed fight to stop those “dividing the Muslims.”

Al-Shabab has lost most of the territory it once controlled in southern Somalia but continues to carry out deadly attacks in the capital, Mogadishu, and in neighboring Kenya.

Somali pirates have hijacked an Iranian fishing vessel with 15 crew members, a Somali official and a maritime expert said on Monday amid warnings that piracy might be making a comeback in the Indian Ocean.

Although there are still occasional cases of sea attacks, piracy near Somalia’s coast had largely subsided in the past three years, mainly due to shipping firms hiring private security details and the presence of international warships.

The Iranian ship was taken on Sunday evening in waters off northern Somali city of Eyl, said Abdirizak Mohamed Dirir, director of the anti-piracy and seaport ministry in Puntland, a semi-autonomous region in Somalia.

“Pirates hijacked an Iranian-flagged fishing vessel with its 15 crew from near Eyl,” Dirir said.

John Steed, East Africa region manager for the Oceans Beyond Piracy group, confirmed the hijacking and said the vessel was called Muhammidi.

Two other Iranian fishing ships were captured by suspected pirates in March. The 16 crew from one boat managed to raise anchor and escape in August, but the other ship and 26 crew remain in captivity.

Steed said there were three other unsuccessful sea attacks by Somali pirates in the past week, including one last night.

“This indicates that the level of illegal fishing is bringing the threat of return of Somali piracy ever closer,” added Kenya-based Steed.

Somali officials say the decline in piracy in recent years has emboldened foreign-flagged illegal fishing vessels to plunder Somalia’s fish stocks closer to shore, bringing them within reach of pirate gangs.

In a report published in October, the U.N. Somalia and Eritrea Monitoring Group said it was “concerned that illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing by foreign vessels may re-establish the conflict dynamic with local fishing communities that contributed to the rise of piracy a decade ago”.

The last outbreak of Somali piracy, at the end of the previous decade, cost the world’s shipping industry billions of dollars as pirates paralyzed shipping lanes, kidnapped hundreds of seafarers and seized vessels more than 1,000 miles from Somalia’s coastline.

It would be fair to ask the International maritime patrol patrolling in the area to chase off the illegal fishing boats.

#1
Seems like it would behoove a wannabe gubmint of Somalia (pick one) to issue Letters of Marque to the privateers and sic them on said pisces poachers. The privateers could haul the lot back to the mainland and present them to a local newly installed maritime court. Said poachers would be held without bail until all fines were paid in full. Said fines paid would be split with the privateers as described in said Letters.

NAIROBI -- Three Kenyan soldiers were wounded, one of them critically, when their vehicle was hit in eastern Kenya by a roadside bomb that the Somali Islamist al Shabaab group said it had planted. The blast in Hulugho, Garissa County, which lies next to the Somali border, shows the group still has the ability to stage attacks outside Somalia even though the rebels have been driven out of major strongholds inside the Horn of Africa nation.

Kenya is part of an African Union force that has been battling the Islamist rebels. Al Shabaab has often staged attacks in Kenya and has said it will continue to launch strikes until Kenyan forces leave Somalia.

“Three soldiers were injured. One was critical, but (they) were evacuated for medical attention,” Kenya Defence Forces (KDF) spokesman, Colonel David Obonyo, told Reuters in a brief message, adding the blast was caused by an improvised explosive devices, or IED.

Earlier, al Shabaab had claimed responsibility for the attack and said all those in the vehicle had died. “We destroyed a KDF military vehicle and destroyed all on board,” Sheikh Abdiasis Abu Musab, al Shabaab’s military operation spokesman, told Reuters.

Qatar today announced that it had brokered a peace agreement between Tebu and Tuareg tribesmen, whose representatives it had brought together in the Qatari capital Doha.

The deal would see both sides withdraw their forces from Obari and observe a ceasefire.

However, few details of the negotiations were given by the Qatari foreign ministry to the news agency Reuters. It is unclear how the Gulf state organised its intervention nor what argument it used to persuade the two tribes to come to Doha, let along sign up to the agreement.

Past efforts to end the fighting, which has been particularly deadly since September 2014, have come to grief. The previous attempt by Amazigh elders from the Jebel Nafusa came unravelled when the Tuareg accused the Tebu of violating a temporary month-long truce.

A joint Tebu-Tuareg committee to be chaired by the Amazigh was set up to oversee the ceasefire and iron out disagreements. Its second meeting, scheduled for Sebha last month, did not however take place.

[AlAhram] This is the second attack to take place in North Sinai on Monday, with the first killing one policeman and injuring two conscripts

A woman and a child were killed in Egypt after a bomb detonated in the El-Jurah district of El-Arish city in North Sinai's Sheikh Zuwaid, Al-Ahram Arabic news website reported.

According to a security source, the bomb, seemingly planted to target police and army forces, went kaboom! as a donkey cart carrying the victims was passing by.

Earlier on Monday, an improvised bomb (IED) killed a policeman and injured two conscripts in the troubled governorate. The IED went kaboom! while a patrol vehicle was passing through the Abu-Taweel area.

ADEN: A key member of a Saudi-led Arab coalition has blamed extremists for delays in its military operations to expel Shiite Houthi rebels from the key southwestern province of Taez.

The coalition on Monday intensified airstrikes against the Iran-backed rebels in Taez as an Emirati minister blamed an influential Sunni party’s for the delays. Coalition jets carried out several strikes against rebel positions on the outskirts of Rahida, the province’s second-largest city, military sources said.

On the ground, loyalist troops and allied Popular Resistance fighters fired Katyusha rockets and mortar rounds at rebel positions, said Fadhl Hasan, commander of the operations to retake Rahida.

Breaking the siege of the government-held provincial capital of the same name is seen as crucial for the recapture of other central provinces and for opening the way to the rebel-controlled capital Sanaa. Pro-government forces have retaken “19 military positions” from the rebels in areas surrounding Rahida since the offensive began a week ago.

Military officials have said land mines were hampering the progress of government forces and had caused casualties.

The advance has also been slowed down by the “betrayal of some Popular Resistance fighters,” another military source said.

Emirati State Minister for Foreign Affairs Anwar Gargash tweeted Sunday that “had it not been for the failure of Al-Islah and the Muslim Brotherhood to act,” Taez would already have been “liberated.”

Al-Islah is a main component of the Popular Resistance which also groups tribesmen, soldiers and southern separatists. The party, highly influential in Taez, is linked to the Muslim Brotherhood, which the UAE has banned as a “terror” group.

[AlAhram] A Belgian anti-terrorism judge on Monday charged a suspect with involvement in the Paris attacks, the federal prosecutor's office said, the fourth person to face charges in Belgium over the November 13 atrocities.

The suspect was arrested in a series of police raids in Belgium on Sunday night along with 15 other people who were all released without charge, as authorities warned of a Paris-style plot facing Brussels.

"The investigating judge specialised in terrorism cases placed into custody a man arrested during the operations of last night. He is charged with participating in activities of a terrorist group and with terrorist attack (Paris)," the prosecutor's office said in a statement.

"After thorough interrogation by the federal judicial police, the remaining 15 persons were released by the investigating judge."

Mohammed Amri, 27, and Hamza Attou, 20, were charged last Monday on suspicion of helping alleged Paris attacker Salah Abdeslam with escaping to Brussels after the November 13 carnage in which 130 people died.

A third person who has not been publicly named was also charged with involvement in the Paris attacks on Friday and is reported to have helped Salah when he was dropped off in the Belgian capital.

They seek him here,
they seek him there,
those Frenchies seek him everywhere.
Is he in heaven or is he in hell?
That damned elusive Pimpernel.

A suspected explosive belt was found dumped near Paris on Monday and the mobile phone of a fugitive believed to have taken part in the attacks on Nov. 13 was detected in two locations in the city, a source close to the investigation said.

Abdeslam's mobile phone was detected after the attacks in the 18th district in the north of Paris, near an abandoned car that he had rented, and then later in Chatillon in the south, the source said on Monday.

Detectives were examining what appeared to be an explosive belt found in a litter bin in the town of Montrouge, south of the capital and not far from Chatillon.

The source said it was too soon to say whether the belt had been in contact with Abdeslam, whose elder brother blew himself during the gun and suicide bomb attacks.

The United States believes Russia's incursion into Turkish airspace on Tuesday likely lasted only a matter of seconds before Turkey shot down a Russian warplane, a U.S. official said, saying the assessment was based on preliminary indications.

Seconds? That means the Turks were alert, tracking the aircraft (perhaps from time of take-off from the base in Latakia) and in no mood to tolerate any incursion of any kind.

The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the United States was still investigating the incident.

Obama can't possibly know what do to here. He doesn't have the experience, moral character or resolve.

#2
Well considering the Israelis blew away another Syrian SU-24 in 2014 when it just went 800 meters into Israel during an about face, one should consider that people take their air space security very seriously in this area and act accordingly.

President Vladimir Putin called Turkey's downing of a Russian fighter jet "a stab in the back" carried out by the accomplices of terrorists, saying the incident would have serious consequences for Moscow's relations with Ankara.

#1
Hard to argue with that. The question is how will he respond, and how will NATO respond if Turkey is attacked. There is potential here for very bad things - see Sarajevo, 1914 - though I doubt we will see a NATO response to a Russian retaliation against Turkey beyond a harshly worded letter. That, of course, would further embolden Putin to do whatever he wanted (in this case, slapping Erdogan is fine with me, just on general principles.)

#7
"Of deeper consequence is what NATO will choose to do. The usual cowardice, or courage to identify and deliberately oppose the enemy?"

I think the definition of enemy is vague given the region/situation/point in time. Which party is more likely to stand with us against the Islamists? Putin would be a better frenemy in that case. I am NOT a fan of Putin, but Erdoğan is not our friend.

#8
The Rooshuns were acting as if they owned all the airspace above and around Syria. The Turks have repeatedly warned the Russians (and Syrians) to stay out of their airspace. So yesterday they made good on that. You have to back up your warnings, after all.

#10
This is all just as stupid as 1914. It is also a direct result of our meddling in the Middle East. And for what? How did it benefit us to get rid of Saddam, Qdaffy, Mubarak? How would it benefit us to get rid of Assad?

Oh well, maybe another world war will clear the air. Make the world safe for democracy or something.

#12
The Rooshuns were acting as if they owned all the airspace above and around Syria. The Turks have repeatedly warned the Russians (and Syrians) to stay out of their airspace. So yesterday they made good on that. You have to back up your warnings, after all.

Seems to me the Russians were relying on a common sense response from Turkey. Seems to me some Turkish general was out to prove his manhood. This should have been dealt with behind closed doors, not in real time.

#13
Indeed. Scrambling a flock of interceptors to chase the intruder off is one thing, actively shooting down the plane quite another. The Turks were mad because the Russians are killing their pawns. I'm surprised Erdogan was willing to take this to the next level.

#19
At #15: Mubarak's time had come. He was so old he was just about embalmed. Had he stayed on to the end his evil spawn would have taken power. The problem wasn't displacing Mubarak, it was allowing the Muslim Brotherhood to take power. That's completely at the feet of Obama. Sisi was there and ready the entire time.

Taking out Daffy was indeed pointless from a geopolitical standpoint, as he'd been neutered by Dubya. Daffy was still an evil asshole, so I don't regret too much what happened to him. But the 'aftermath' in Libya has been a complete (and foreseeable) Charlie Fox.

And why anyone, anyone in the West thought that a "red line" would unhorse Assad is beyond me. Assad leaves office only when he's dead, and Obama wasn't ready to arrange that.

#22
SteveW, Mubarak was on the way out naturally, there was no need for the Incompetent/Evil in Chief to try and insert himself/us in the situation. I can't imagine what Bozo would do differently if his goal was the elevation of the MoBro to dominance in the entire region.

The other "incidents" comport with your view, feckless, ignorant and stupid.

Remember all those American NGOs who were issued arrest warrants for illegally politicking? Remember how pissy Obama was when Morsi was ousted; hell contracts were suspended and Egypt scolded. Daffy and Assad were supposed to just hang your hat, old boy, the days of your kind are over. When they fought back, and started winning, is when NATO began military operations - the NFZs, bullets and beans. That effort only left a void in Libya and introduced actual Iranian and Russian troops in Syria.

Could you imagine: an Obama elected -cough- head of government in Libya, Egypt, and Syria, with BFF Erdogon in Turkey, overviewing that trio, and we see where he wants to go, and if Obama's A-Team electioneers had defeated Netenyahu and Israel had their version of John Kerry at the helm?

Erdogon has been trying to get official NATO entry since his F-4 got shot down over Syria. Money from human trafficking. Money from oil. Money for arms trafficking.

#25
Perhaps BHARAT RAKSHAK + DEFENCE.PK/FORUMS Blogger(s) said it best, namely that "TURKEY WILL FIND OUT IFF THEY ARE A REAL GREAT POWER OR SUPERPOWER [includ OWG Co-Superpower?], OR IFF THEY ARE A GARBAGE DUMP"!?

Yuuup.

By the above scope, Turkey = Russia, China, + Iran, Other? in finding out their role or value to the Globies + future [US-led Anti-US] OWG-NWO.

See also this, posted earlier. Please add all updates over the course of the day to one of these two threads, or we'll end up with a dozen articles and discussion chopped up between them.

[AlAhram] NATO...the North Atlantic Treaty Organization. It's headquartered in Belgium. That sez it all.... is in "close contact" with Ankara and watching developments after key alliance member The Sick Man of Europe Turkey...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... shot down a Russian fighter jet on the Syrian border, an official said Tuesday.

"NATO is monitoring the situation closely. We are in contact with Turkish authorities," the official told AFP in an email.

He gave no further details and made no comment when asked whether Turkey would seek an emergency NATO meeting, as it did in early October after Russian planes violated its airspace several times.

On that occasion, NATO condemned the Russian incursions and warned of "the extreme danger of such irresponsible behaviour."

All 28 NATO members pledge a one-for-all, all-for-one response to any military threat if a member invokes what is known as Article Five when it comes under attack.

The only time this has been invoked was by the United States after the September 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington.

At this point, it seems to me that the under-armied (Europe and Britain) and no-boots-on-the-ground (need you ask, dear Reader?) nations of NATO will choose to continue watching and monitoring rather than actually take on the Russian bear. On the other hand, I can see President Putin sending Russian jets to pound Sultan Recep I's brand new palace into rubble as his opening gambit.

A spokesman for the Syrian rebel group which claimed to have captured a Russian pilot whose plane was shot down over northwestern Syria says he was dead upon landing, AP reports.

Jahed Ahmad of the 10th Brigade in the Coast said that the two Russian crew members tried to land in their parachutes in government-held areas after they ejected, but came under fire from members of his group.

He adds that rebels shot one of the pilots, who landed dead on the ground on Tuesday.

The fate of the second pilot was not immediately known.

The group released a video showing gunmen standing around a blond pilot whose face was bruised and appeared dead.

ps - in above link to video allegedly of downed russian pilot. He is dead. There is no parachute suggesting he survived landing and was killed or died after. The turbans are yelling allahu akhbar and russki russki. (via reddit)

#15
Hmmm. Bomb the only party that is fighting Daesh on the ground. Withhold any support to the Kurds especially when they fight Daesh close to the Turkish border. Next, enable a flood of "Syrian refugees" to swarm Greece and Western Europe, directly leading to terror attacks in Paris, and a complete shutdown of Brussels. Next, shoot down a Russian bomber while it is attacking Daesh and other Islamofascists.

One would legitimately think Turkey is on the side of Daesh.

NATO will have to choose which side it's on. One should also consider the Turkish treachery during Operation Iraqi Freedom.

#19
Hard to argue with that. The question is how will he respond, and how will NATO respond if Turkey is attacked. There is potential here for very bad things - see Sarajevo, 1914 - though I doubt we will see a NATO response to a Russian retaliation against Turkey beyond a harshly worded letter. That, of course, would further embolden Putin to do whatever he wanted (in this case, slapping Erdogan is fine with me, just on general principles.) (copied from different thread.)

There is a torrent of cyrilic alphabet hate. But from what is in English, here is a sample - *Russia should nuke Turkish gypsies. And if USA will try to invade Russia then Russia should nuke USrael too﻿*

or

*once upon a time was a country with name turkey﻿*

I think it is safe to say the Russian public response to the images of their fighter pilots busted up, dead and surrounded by allan snackbars jubillating and pointing at the sky is going to be enraged

PUTIN - in his statement has accused Turkey of funding and supporting Islamic State, said the oil is bought by Turkey -> financing terrorism. Said nothing should be left alive on the ground where the russian jets were shot down if it is true the pilots were killed. Said turkey are accomplices of terrorism. Called it a *stab in the back* - and said they ran off to NATO as if Russia had shot down a Turkish jet. -- all this is second hand off bellingcat twitter feed

#28
Putin isn't just protecting Assad, he's going to re conquer Syria for Assad and take out all resistance, even non ISIS and western back rebels, and that might mean WW3 because Turkey won't want Assad to take back lands that are currently free and run by Ethnic Turks.

#32
It is reported that both of the pilots have been executed in there parachute harnesses, and that a Russian search and rescue helicopter sent after them has also been shot down.

I would wholeheartedly support Putin conducting a annihilation bombing campaign along the Syrian/Turkey border, using cluster munitions and thermobaric bombs, to reduce the local surviving population into babbling, shell-shocked recluses.

Turkey (or at least, Erdogan's Turkey, let's say) is pissed off because

1) The Russians are hitting Daesh's "oil pipeline" to Turkey, which profits greatly some Turkish element, including apparently young Bilal Erdogan;

2) Kurdish forces are pushing back de facto Turkish ally Daesh and cutting its logistic lines, as well as creating a viable prot-Kurish State, something that Turkey simply does not want to happen;

3) Russian planes are providing CAS for loyalist fighting back a new push by Turkmenes rebels, backed by Turkey (up to and including artillery support): Turkey has declared an unilateral 15 km/10 miles NFZ into Syria, and this is their ground for claiming airspace violation and repeated warnings during 5 minutes (from their own flight radar pictures, the Russian plane never left Syrian airspace, and only overflew a 2 km wide Turkish "promontory" into Syria, IE a 10-15 secondes max overflight).

#36
I suspect the Russian response to their pilots being executed will be rather more robust than our response to either a) our Libyan ambassador being executed and dragged through the street or b) our troopers in Mogadishu being shot and dragged through the street.

#37
I think Badanov is on it: the Kurdish angle here is the one that I think drives Erdogan more than anything. The Kurd politicians in Turkey actively opposed him in the last two elections and were a key part of the coalition that won the June election. Erdogan has hit the PKK hard over the years and has pursued them into Iraq and Syria. The Syrian Kurdish revolutionary group is an out-and-out enemy to the Turks.

So if the Kurds are fighting ISIS, Erdogan will be sympathetic to the latter just on principles.

#49
Russian Federation MoD said emphatically their aircraft were in Syrian air space the whole time, and that Turkey interceptors made no effort to contact the Russian pilots. A SAR mission mounted using Russian marines was fired on by Syrian rebels, forcing two birds down, one of which was destroyed by rebel mortar fire.

“This incident shows for the first time that we are to dealing with an actor who is unpredictable according to statements from various parts of the region – that is not Russia, that is Turkey,” Gabriel said, as cited by DPA news agency. He added that Turkey was playing “a complicated role” in the Syrian conflict.

#56
At #48: no Putin won't tolerate it. There is an international treaty that governs Rooshun ships transiting the Bosporus (The Montreux Convention Regarding the Regime of the Straits, a 1936 agreement). That treaty gives the Russians guarantees that permit passage of their military ships specifically. Closing the Bosporus to them would be a clear treaty violation.

#59
Badanov on his comment #34, IMHO is spot on the mark. ISIS oil flows through by and large into Iraq through Mosul or through Turkey in multiple smuggling routes. So someone in Turkey is losing his share of cut.

Turkey is sticking it to the EU because they were not allowed in. So they transit refugees, migrants, and jihadies on a flood. Another means of getting fees for transit.

Erdogon wants to set his country up as the Ottoman Empire V2.0 leader of the Muslims etc etc. IOW, the care and feeding of the hungry ego. He is setting himself up for a fall.

Putin can make Erdogon's life a living hell from many fronts. The PKK could use materiel, all right. Proxy covert ops could raise all kinds of mischief----------or worse. Turkey has been playing all sides and it is catching up with her.

#61
May you live in interesting times! Moscow: Just hours after the downing of a Russian warplane by the Turkish air force on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov called on Russian citizens not to visit Turkey for tourism or any other purpose for the time being. He added that he was cancelling his scheduled trip to Istanbul for a meeting with his Turkish counterpart.
The stopping of Russian tourist visits to Turkey would be a major blow to the Turkish economy, as millions of Russians visit the country each year.
Ankara says that the Su-24 jet violated its airspace, while Moscow claims it was shot down in Syrian territory.
http://www.debka.com/…/Russians-should-avoid-travel-to-Turk…-

Turkish fighter jets shot down a warplane near the Syrian border after it violated Turkey's airspace on Tuesday, a Turkish military official said, but the nationality of the downed aircraft was not immediately clear. Ruskie Defense Ministry acknowledges the flight and asserts it was over Syrian territory, per Fox. There are also reports of two helicopters attempting to rescue the pair of airmen who successfully ejected and are trying to evade capture at the moment.
Both Russia and its ally, Syria's government, have carried out strikes in the area. A Syrian military source said the reported downing was being investigated and Russia's defense ministry was not immediately available for comment.

Turkish F16s warned the jet over the airspace violations before shooting it down, the military official told Reuters.

[Hurriyet] Turkish police detained 11 people on suspicions of being members of the Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) in simultaneous raids in three provinces across the country on Nov. 23.

Eight suspects were detained in the eastern province of Bingöl, two were detained in the northwestern province of Balikesir, while one other was apprehended in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir.

The simultaneous raids were conducted as part of an investigation under the aegis of the Diyarbakir Public Prosecutor's Office.

The 10 suspects who were detained in Bingöl and Balikesir were sent to Diyarbakir.

[AnNahar] Four suspected rebels and a soldier were killed in three separate festivities Monday in Indian-administered Kashmire, authorities said.

Government forces acting on a tip-off trapped three suspected forces of Evil in an alley and killed them near the town of Ashmuqam, 80 kilometers (50 miles) south of the main city of Srinagar.

The joint team of army, paramilitaries and police shot the snuffies after coming under fire from them, a police statement said.

"The encounter ended with the elimination of three snuffies of HM (Hizbul Mujahideen) outfit," it said, adding they were all locals.

In a separate incident a suspected rebel was killed at Maniga, near the frontier town of Kupwara in the north of the Himalayan territory, during an army search of the forested area.

Police Superintendent Aijaz Ahmed said government forces were hunting a group who killed a special forces officer last week and injured two other soldiers.

One myrmidon was killed during the operation and a search for others was continuing, Ahmed told AFP.

A soldier died in the early morning after his patrol came under fire in the Naoshera sector near the heavily militarized Line of Control that divides the disputed territory between India and Pakistain.

"In the ensuing firefight one soldier was injured and attained martyrdom while being evacuated to a military hospital," said defense front man Manish Mehta.

Kashmire has been divided between India and Pakistain since the end of British colonial rule in 1947. Both claim the territory in its entirety.

Several rebel groups have for decades been battling Indian forces, seeking independence or a merger of Kashmire with Pakistain.

Khuzdar: Two alleged terrorists were killed and another arrested in injured condition during an operation carried out by security forces in the Khuzdar.

On a tip-off, the security forces raided a hideout in the Tunak area. The alleged holed-up terrorists started firing on the raiding team.

The security forces retaliated and two suspected terrorists were killed and the third was arrested in injured condition.The security forces also claimed to have recovered a huge cache of weapons, explosives and ammunitions from the hideout.

PESHAWAR: The Anti-Terrorism department on Monday has arrested most-wanted terrorist during an operation conducted in Charial, an area of Malakand division.

As per media reports, the arrested terrorist was allegedly involved in various terror attacks on security forces back in 2009. The authorities shifted the accused to undisclosed location, where he is being investigated.

KARACHI: The Sindh Rangers on Sunday claimed to have arrested 15 suspects affiliated with a ‘political party’ and equal number of alleged militants associated with banned organisations in a series of ‘targeted’ raids in Ittehad Town, Bilal Colony, Peerabad, Lyari, Machhar Colony, Frontier Colony and other areas on Saturday night and Sunday.

In a separate statement, a Rangers spokesperson said that three alleged hitmen were also detained in a targeted raid carried out on a tip-off in the Al-Falah area.

Weapons were seized from them, he added.

A Rangers spokesperson said that six suspects allegedly belonged to the Tehreek-i-Taliban Pakistan (TTP) were held in Ittehad Town. Four TTP suspects were held in Lyari and Machhar Colony while five suspects belonging to banned organisations were held in Bilal Colony, Peerabad, and Frontier Colony.

The Rangers conducted raids in Al-Falah, Safoora, Surjani, Martin Quarters, Ramswami/Dhobi Ghat, P&T Colony on hideouts of hitmen and hardened criminals ‘affiliated with a political party,’ said the spokesperson. During the actions 15 alleged criminals, including hitmen, were arrested and weapons seized.

KARACHI: An improvised explosive device (IED) was thrown into the premises of Counter Terrorism Department’s headquarters early on Monday (CTD) by unknown attackers.

“Unknown attackers threw the IED in our premises and fled from the spot,” said CTD SSP Amir Farooqi.

The Bomb Disposal Squad (BDS) was summoned to the site of the incident, and managed to defuse the explosive device before it detonated.

The premises of the CTD headquarters was evacuated in order to ensure the safety of the law enforcement personnel present there.

“The device was thrown over the wall and landed in the parking area of the CTD headquarters,” stated Farooqi.

He added that the wires of the device disconnected after it landed inside the premises, hence it failed it explode.

The CTD is leading the fight in Karachi alongside the Rangers against terror and sectarian outfits.

Earlier in 2010, the same premises were targeted with a vehicle-borne improvised explosive device (VBIED) which caused massive damage to the premises and caused a large number of casualties.

The structure, especially residential quarters located across the road and around the CID offices, were also razed to the ground by the impact of the blast, killing and wounding many residents.

The ‘operation’ against criminal elements in Pakistan’s commercial hub was initiated back in September 2013 after the federal cabinet empowered Rangers to lead a targeted advance with the support of police against criminals already identified by federal military and civilian agencies for their alleged involvement in targeted killings, kidnappings for ransom, extortion and terrorism in Karachi.

Karachi, a teeming metropolis of around 18 million people, is rife with political, ethnic, sectarian and criminal violence. Proscribed organisations have also used Karachi as a base to generate funds for furthering their anti-state agenda.

URFA – A senior official from the radical group of Islamic State (ISIS) was killed on Monday by an Iraqi rebel group known as Ahrar al-Mosul, Iraqi police reported.

“Gunmen of Ahrar al-Mosul group shot dead Farooq Ahmed al-Lahibi, Daesh’s intelligence official, along with a number of escorts in a sheep market in western Mosul,” Nineveh police said in a press statement, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.

The source confirmed that al-Lahibi was killed along with four companions under heavy fire by the Iraqi rebel group.

Speaking to ARA News, an informed source said Ahrar al-Mosul group is an armed organization led by former spokesman of the Council of Representatives Osama al-Nujaifi, assisted by his brother, former governor of Nineveh province Atheel al-Nujaifi.

“Ahrar al-Mosul group consists of hundreds of officers and soldiers from the former Iraqi army with a number of university students and other sympathizers,” the source said on the condition of anonymity.

The source pointed out that ISIS extremists were able to kill a number of Ahrar al-Mosul group in clashes near Mosul earlier this month.

The so-called ‘Free Officers Movement’ in Mosul has joined the Ahrar al-Mosul with about 200 fighters to fight ISIS.

Ahrar al-Mosul group was able to kill a number of senior militants from the ISIS terror group over the past few months, mainly in the city of Mosul, according to Iraqi security sources.

(IraqiNews.com) Diyali – Memeber of Diyali Provincial Council Karim al-Jabouri announced on Monday, that the clan fighters had managed to repel an attack by ISIS militants on security posts belonging to the militia of al-Hashed east of Baqubah.

Jabouri said in a statement received by IraqiNews.com, “al-Hashed in the area of Shurwin (45 km east of Baqubah) had managed to repel an attack by ISIS on several joint security posts near the river of Diyali,” adding that, “al-Hashed had succeeded, in coordination with the army and police forces, to prevent the advance of ISIS towards its security posts, in addition to dismantling two explosive devices that were planted to target the military troops.”

(IraqiNews.com) Diyali – A source in Diyali police said on Monday, that a policeman and a civilian had been injured in a bomb blast northeast of Baqubah.

The source informed IraqiNews.com, “A bomb that was emplaced under a vehicle parked near the al-Asri Neighborhood in central Maqdadediyah (35 km northeast of Baqubah), has went off, resulting in the injury of a policeman and a civilian who were near the site of the blast,” adding that, “A security force cordoned off the area of the incident and transferred the injured to a hospital to receive the treatment, while opened an investigation into the incident.”

(IraqiNews.com) Salah AL-Dien – A security source in Salahuddin province announced on Monday, that the joint forces were able to repel an ISIS attack on the oil fields of Alas and Ajil in Salah AL-Dien province.

The source said in an interview for IraqiNews.com, “The army, federal police and al-Hashed al-Shaabi were able, at a late hour last night, to repel an attack by ISIS on the oil fields in Ajil and Alas in an attempt to control them,” noting that, “Those forces were able to kill 25 ISIS elements and wound 10 others.”

The source, who asked anonymity, added: “The army aviation participated in repelling the attack,” indicating that, “It managed to destroy seven vehicles and kill its occupants.”

(IraqiNews.com) Kirkuk – A local source in Kirkuk province announced on Saturday, that the ISIS executed 10 civilians and hung their bodies on electricity poles southwest of the province.

The source said in an interview for IraqiNews.com, “The organization (ISIS) executed 10 civilians in the area of Zab in Hawija District (75 km southwest of Kirkuk),” noting that, “ISIS hung their bodies on electricity poles.”

The source, who asked to remain anonymous, added: “The reason of their execution goes back to being accused of leaving the land and refusing to join the ranks of the organization.”

[AlAhram] French jets struck Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... targets in Iraq on Monday, taking off from the Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier for the first time, the military said on Twitter on Monday. The tweet said two targets had been destroyed, without elaborating.

La Belle France's defence minister, Jean-Yves Le Drian, had told Europe 1 radio on Sunday the flagship of the French Navy, deployed to the eastern Mediterranean to back La Belle France's involvement in air strikes in Iraq and Syria, would be fully operational from Monday.

French President Francois Hollande...the Socialist president of La Belle France, an economic bad joke for la Belle France but seemingly a foreign policy realist... also said last week La Belle France would step up its attacks against Islamic State targets in Syria. He has also called for a grand coalition, including the United States and Russia, to eradicate Islamic State, and is due to meet with Barack ObamaIf you like your coverage you can keep it... and Vladimir Putin...Second and fourth President and sixth of the Russian Federation and the first to remain sober. Putin is credited with bringing political stability and re-establishing something like the rule of law, which occasionally results in somebody dropping dead from polonium poisoning. Under Putin, a new group of business magnates controlling significant swathes of Russia's economy has emerged, all of whom have close personal ties to Putin. The old bunch, without close personal ties to Putin, are in jail or in exile or dead... this week.

"We carried out strikes in Ramadi and Mosul in support of ground forces that were pushing against troops of (the Islamic State group)," said army chief of staff General Pierre de Villiers, aboard the carrier.

[Rudaw] At least eight Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) Lions of Islam were killed during an attack by Iraqi warplanes in Ramadi, according to a statement released Sunday by the media war office of the joint operation.

"Iraqi warplanes targeted ISIS strongholds in Ramadi and managed to kill eight Lions of Islam and destroy a vehicle and a barrel bomb," said the statement.

The operation was carried out in the Tameem district of western Ramadi in Anbar province.

The statement added that warplanes blasted ISIS in eastern Fallujah,... the City of Mosques, which might have somthing to do with why it's not called Center of Prosperity or a really nice place to raise your kids... destroying a vehicle and killing some ISIS Lions of Islam inside it.

[Rudaw] Baghdad has asked that the airports in Erbil and Sulaimani halt all flights for 48 hours, in order to protect the safety of travelers while Russian jets are targeting the Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... (ISIS) in Syria.

"We have been informed by Baghdad to halt the flights because of Russian jets attacking Daesh [Islamic State] (ISIS) in Syria. This is for the safety of travelers," Talar Faiyq, head of Erbil International Airport, told Rudaw late Sunday.

She said all flights were halted for Monday and Tuesday and will not resume at least until Wednesday.

[Rudaw] For the first time in its history, Erbil International Airport will be grounding all its flights for the next two days, said Talar Salih on Monday.

Speaking at a conference held in the region's capital airport, Salih said all incoming and outgoing flights to the Kurdistan region have been cancelled, including those at Sulaimani Airport.

The closures are in response to a warning issued by the Iraq Civil Aviation Authority regarding Russian cruise missiles launched from the Caspian Sea that will cross through airspace in northern Iraq and Syria.

All commercial airlines have suspended operations at the region's airports "until the integrity of the airspace can be confirmed by the Iraqi Civil Aviation Authority," said a statement released from Erbil International Airport.

The closure will last through today and Tuesday, but could extend longer, the statement said. Passengers are advised to check with their airlines regarding refunds and flight rescheduling.

Paleostinian gunnies Monday night shot up Israeli security personnel at a military checkpoint between Jerusalem and the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Border Police officers manning the Qalandiya checkpoint were uninjured in the incident, and returned fire towards the shooters, according to the Israel Police. It was unclear if there were any Paleostinian casualties.

The Qalandiya checkpoint is a frequent flash point for festivities between IDF forces and Paleostinian protesters.

Monday saw two separate attacks carried out by Paleostinian assailants against Israelis.

Outside a West Bank gas station on Route 443, 18-year-old IDF soldier Ziv Mizrahi was fatally stabbed by a Paleostinian from the West Bank village of Katana. Magen David Adom paramedics attempted to revive Mizrahi, who was an IDF driver, but a front man said first responders were forced to pronounced him deadHe's dead, Jim! at the scene.

Police identified Ahmad Taha as the assailant. He was shot and killed by Israeli soldiers in the area.

Another woman was lightly hurt when her car was hit by gunfire from security forces trying to thwart the attack.

Hours before, two teenage Paleostinian girls armed with scissors injured an elderly Paleostinian they mistook for an Israeli Jew in a stabbing terror attack near Jerusalem's busy Mahane Yehuda market.

Police later identified the two attackers as cousins Hadil and Nurhan Awad, aged 14 and 16, from Qalandiya. Sixteen-year-old Hadil died at the scene and 14-year-old Nurhan was badly hurt and detained, a police spokesperson said.

In spontaneous response to stabbing in downtown Jerusalem, Hawala Jaber from Umm al-Fahm vents her anger at 'bullsh*t they do here to the Jews'

Channel 2 news hound covering the Jerusalem stabbing attack on Monday afternoon stumbled on an unusual sight, even for unpredictable Jerusalem: An Arab woman dancing to a Hebrew song with several IDF soldiers, embracing them, and preaching coexistence.

Hawala Jaber, a resident of Umm al-Fahm in her 50s, has been working in Jewish homes for many years, said veteran Channel 2 news hound Moshe Nussbaum, calling the incident “one of the most surreal scenes I have seen.”

Jaber, who was passing close to the scene of Monday's terror attack in Jerusalem when she broke out into dance, told the TV station she is "very angry at the bullshit they do here to the Jews."

Two Paleostinian girls, aged 14 and 16, stabbed a Paleostinian man in his 70s with a pair of scissors, thinking he was an Israeli Jew.

The older Paleostinian teenager was shot and killed at the scene, whereas her younger cousin was badly injured by the gunfire. An Israeli security guard, 27, was lightly injured by friendly fire at the site of the attack outside the Mahane Yehuda market on Jaffa Road.

Speaking Hebrew tinged with a heavy Arabic accent less than an hour after the attack, Jaber told Nussbaum: "We live here together, we are all flesh and we are all blood. Under the blood, there is no such thing, Arab or Jew. It is all nonsense, we all live together. In the Old City, you have Jews here and Arabs here and just a road between them. All our lives we live together."

Jaber said the turbans are "crazies, no brain. They must be giving them pills that make their heads turn," drawing applause from Israeli civilians gathered around her.

As the Channel 2 crew continued filming, two young female soldiers who were nearby spontaneously burst into a traditional song. The lyrics: "The eternal nation is not afraid of the long road ahead."

An Israeli man joined them and they started dancing in a circle; he then grabbed Jaber, who joined them in the dance. An ultra-Orthodox man and other shoppers looked on. In the footage, Jaber is also seen embracing and kissing the troops.

[AlJizz] A Thai military court has charged two men police accused of carrying out a deadly bombing at a Bangkok shrine that killed 20 people and left more than 120 wounded. The pair, identified as Adem Karadag and Yusufu Miefaili, faced 10 charges on Tuesday in connection with the August 17 blast at the Erawan Shrine.

Officials said there was no political or religious motivation behind the attack. They say the explosion was revenge by a people-smuggling network against Thai authorities for breaking up their operation.

The two have been held at an army base since their arrests in August and September. They are being tried at a military court, where cases of national security have been handled since the army seized power in a coup in May.

[AnNahar] U.S. warplanes have destroyed 283 fuel tankers that were being used to transport oil to help fund the Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group in eastern Syria, officials said Monday.

The huge air raid is another milestone as the U.S.-led coalition intensifies its campaign against the jihadists and focuses on their oil-smuggling infrastructure, estimated to net the group some $500 million a year.

Pentagon front man Captain Jeff Davis said the strike occurred Saturday between Al Hasakah and Dayr Az Zawr in the east. It came less than a week after another, similar strike destroyed 116 IS fuel trucks.

Just as in that earlier case, U.S. jets on Saturday first conducted a low-flying "show of force" over the trucks, then dropped leaflets telling drivers to flee.

The Pentagon says that while the trucks were being used to support the IS group, the drivers themselves were not thought to be jihadists.

U.S. A-10 air-to-ground attack planes and AC-130 gunships then destroyed the tankers, Davis said, adding there had been no reports of civilian casualties.

"We have very methodically gone through this to ensure that we are doing this in a way that is humane and not going to cause civilian casualties," Davis said, while "also recognizing the fact that these trucks are an integral link in the revenue stream that is providing revenue ... to ISIL."

Russia, which is conducting a separate air campaign in Syria, claims to have destroyed dozens of fuel trucks and has declared a "free hunt" for any trucks carrying oil "belonging to terrorists" in IS-controlled areas.

A U.S. military front man said that in the earlier U.S. strike that destroyed 116 trucks, the leaflets dropped stated: "Get out of your trucks now, and run away from them."

#6
The US repor believes that the truck drivers may be Civilians forced or hired by the ISIS to drive the trucks, but are not actually memebers or part of the ISIS???

* OTOH LUCIANNE > [Washington Examiner] US RAN OUT OF AMMO IN ATTACK ON ISIS TRUCKS.

Allegations of poor attack planning or incompetence based on the premise that iff the US = US Fed-DOD believed that the ISIS/ISIL relied heavily or excessively on Energy = Oil-Gas sales to third-parties via road-mobile vehicles for income, WHY DID IT PLAN AIR STRIKES OR AIR ATTACKS AGZ SAME WIDOUT ENOUGH MUNITIONS???

[AnNahar] Moscow on Monday said its warplanes had hit 472 targets in war-torn Syria in the past two days, including tanker trucks and oil infrastructure in territory controlled by the Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... group.

"In 141 combat sorties in the past two days, warplanes of the Russian airforce struck 472 terrorist targets in the provinces of Aleppo, Damascus, Idlib, Latakia, Hama, Homs, Raqa and Deir Ezzor," the Russian defense ministry said in a statement.

The military said that the latest strikes had destroyed 80 tanker trucks near the Islamic State stronghold of Raqa, as well as a large oil storage tank and a oil refinery south of the city.

Fuel reserves some 50 kilometers (31 miles) north of Deir Ezzor were also destroyed in the strikes, the defense ministry said.

The Russian defense ministry said last week that it was "hunting" oil transporters in a bid to cut IS financing and claimed that in the past five days some 1,000 fuel trucks had been destroyed.

The Russian military claimed that "terrorists" had suffered "serious losses" in Saraqib, a city in the northwestern province of Idlib province, and in the town of Qalaat al-Madiq in the Hama province.

#7
The Russians use different metrics than the US. For ex. the destruction of the 283 oil tankers (if in one place) is 1 target hit requiring multiple aircraft, probably around a squadron of shooters.

The Russian metric is seems to be any bomb release or cannon fired at a target is a strike. Otherwise 141 sorties could in no way hit 472 targets. That's 3.3 targets/sortie, even higher when a lot or sorties are devoted to supporting the bomb droppers.

HASAKAH – Militants of the Islamic State (ISIS) extremist group in the city of Shaddadi south of Hasakah have transferred most of their family members to Deir ez-Zor province in eastern Syria, local sources reported on Monday.

Dozens of private cars have left Shaddadi city carrying families of ISIS members. Most of the cars have reportedly headed to al-Mayadeen city in Deir ez-Zor province, eyewitnesses told ARA News.

This comes amid a dramatic progress by the Kurdish-Arab alliance of the SDF in Hasakah province.

Over the past two weeks, the SDF, backed by the U.S.-led coalition’s air cover, has expelled ISIS from more than 200 villages and towns in Hasakah, including the strategic town of al-Hawl on the border with Iraq.

The SDF leadership has announced its intention to liberate Shaddadi city in the coming days.

Shaddadi is considered the last major stronghold for the ISIS radical group in Hasakah province.

KOBANE – Kurdish forces of the People’s Protection Units (YPG) on Monday announced the death of more than 20 militants from the radical group of Islamic State (ISIS) in renewed clashes near Kobane and Tel Abyad in northern Syria.

The YPG has also destroyed two ISIS-manned vehicles and seized a third one “loaded with a large deal of explosives”.

Leadership of the YPG said in a statement on Monday that ISIS militants have targeted with mortar fire the villages of Mughira in the vicinity of Ain Issa town near Tel Abyad. The group has also bombed the village of Shuqef in the southern countryside of Kobane.

“The terrorists also targeted our headquarters near the village of al-Hisha eastern Ain Issa with heavy weapons,” the statement read.

The ISIS-led attacks caused material damage and the injury of at least five people.

“Subsequent to the terror attacks, our forces (YPG) clashed with ISIS and were able to kill more than 20 terrorists and destroyed two ISIS-manned vehicles, beside seizing another vehicles filled with a large amount of ammunition and explosive devices.”

The Kurdish fighters have also attacked ISIS headquarters in the village of Khirbet Hilda in the northern countryside of Raqqa on Monday evening. The results of the attack were not immediately clear.

In the meantime, the U.S.-led coalition conducted several airstrikes on ISIS positions in the eastern countryside of Jarablus, west of Kobane, during which two ISIS tactical units were destroyed.

Speaking to ARA News, Haboun Osman, a spokesman for the YPG, confirmed that their forces have been coordinating with the U.S.-led coalition over anti-ISIS military operations near Raqqa and Kobane.

“ISIS extremists were forced to retreat from their positions in the countryside of Ain Issa north of Raqqa as the majority of their fortifications have been destroyed outright,” he said.

American forces made one of their most effective hits against the Islamic State on Nov. 15, when U.S. planes destroyed 116 tanker trucks used by the terrorist organization to transport the stolen oil that is its financial lifeblood.

American A-10 and C-130 warplanes targeted a group of about 300 trucks near Abu Kamal, in Syria. Given that the Islamic State is thought to have just over 1,000 trucks in its entire fleet, the group of 300 represented a huge target for U.S. planes.

The drivers as well -- you need to discourage guys from hopping into the cab of an ISIS oil tanker. Sucks but that's how you win a war: you break the will of the other side.

At a Pentagon news conference last Wednesday, reporters wanted to know why American forces did not take out more than 116 trucks. Why not all 300, or something close to that? A U.S. official said the American attackers simply ran out of ammunition.

[AlAhram] The Syrian army recaptured a town and village in the central province of Homs from the Islamic State...formerly ISIS or ISIL, depending on your preference. Before that al-Qaeda in Iraq, as shaped by Abu Musab Zarqawi. They're very devout, committing every atrocity they can find in the Koran and inventing a few more. They fling Allah around with every other sentence, but to hear the pols talk they're not really Moslems.... bad boy group on Monday, state media and a monitoring group said.
"The army in cooperation with Popular Defence groups (pro-regime militias) took control of Maheen and Hawareen in the southeast of Homs province after inflicting heavy losses on Daesh [Islamic State]," state television... and if you can't believe state television who can you believe?
said, using the Arabic acronym for ISIS.

Britannia-based monitoring group the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights confirmed the army's advance, which it said had been backed by Russian warplanes and military helicopters.

The Observatory also reported that regime forces advanced Monday in a mountainous area north of the coastal city of Latakia, heartland of the minority Alawite sect to which Syria's ruling clan belongs.

The monitor said the government forces gained ground in Jabal Zahi and Jabal Zweik after fierce fighting with Salafist tough guys, while Russian warplanes provided air cover.

Syria's state run news agency also reported advances by regime troops in Latakia, where the Observatory says they have been gaining ground over the past week.

The recapture of Maheen comes after it was overrun by ISIS on November 1.

Previously, a ceasefire had been in force under which rebel factions remained inside the town but government forces manned checkpoints around it.

ISIS forces launched their assault on Maheen from neighbouring Al-Qaryatain, which the group captured earlier this year, kidnapping hundreds of civilians and destroying ancient Christian sites.

The army advance now puts Al-Qaryatain, which is just 15 kilometres (nine miles) from Maheen, in their sights.

Elsewhere in Homs province, the Observatory said government forces were advancing on the outskirts of the ancient city of Palmyra, which ISIS captured in May.

Since seizing the famed city, ISIS has destroyed many of its UNESCO World Heritage sites, including ancient temples, drawing international condemnation.

The latest advances come nearly two months into a Russian air campaign in support of Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-AssadThe Scourge of Hama...Moscow says its air strikes target ISIS and other "terrorists", but rebels and their backers say moderate and Islamist opposition fighters have borne the brunt of attacks.

[Hurriyet] As The Sick Man of Europe Turkey...the only place on the face of the earth that misses the Ottoman Empire.... has called for a U.N. Security Council meeting to discuss attacks on Turkmens in neighboring Syria, local Turkmens and the forces of Syrian Hereditary President-for-Life Bashir Pencilneck al-AssadHorror of Homs... started fighting each other on Nov. 23 to secure control of a hill close to the Turkmen-dominated Bayirbucak region in northwestern Syria.

Turkmen forces clashed with regime forces backed by Russian support from the air with warplanes and choppers and also missiles from the sea. The fighting could be heard from the Yayladagi district in Turkey's southern province of Hatay, on the border with Syria.

The fierce festivities over control of the "Burc Kasap" mountain are strategically important, as the side that controls the mountain typically has superiority over the Bayirbucak region.

Meanwhile,...back at the the conspirators' cleverly concealed hideout the long-awaited message arrived. They quickly got to work with their decoder rings... the Turkish Red Islamic Thingy said it would boost humanitarian aid to Syrian Turkmens who have been displaced because of al-Assad regime attacks backed by Russian Arclight airstrikes, its head Ahmet Lutfi Akar told Anadolu Agency on Nov. 23.

Around 1,700 Syrian Turkmen have arrived in southern Turkey over the last three days, southern Hatay province Governor Ercan Topaca said Nov. 22.

Red Islamic Thingy head Akar said tens of thousands of Turkmens from Syria's northwestern region of Bayirbucak had recently been displaced, and the Turkish Red Islamic Thingy would step up its humanitarian efforts in response to the developing situation.

"In cooperation with AFAD [the Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Authority], we have sent to the region a large batch of tents, blankets, sleeping bags and food supplies. We are continuing to send humanitarian aid to the region, and as of today we are further accelerating our efforts," he added.

The use of chemical weapons in the Syrian civil war is becoming routine, a U.S. official said in The Hague on Monday, calling on members of the global chemical weapons body to collectively condemn their use.

“Today, we must raise our voice collectively and emphatically to condemn such use,” Rafael Foley told a meeting of the Executive Council at the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons (OPCW).

A multi-volume chronology and reference guide set detailing three years of the Mexican Drug War between 2010 and 2012.

Rantburg.com and borderlandbeat.com correspondent and author Chris Covert presents his first non-fiction work detailing
the drug and gang related violence in Mexico.

Chris gives us Mexican press dispatches of drug and gang war violence
over three years, presented in a multi volume set intended to chronicle the death, violence and mayhem which has
dominated Mexico for six years.